Monday Mentors with Waco Litigator Josh White

By Daniel Hare | April 12, 2021
Waco Litigator Josh White
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Josh White, civil litigator focused on construction and business law and shareholder with Haley & Olson in Waco, joins us on today's show! Josh talks about the importance of in-person justice, being proactive, and preparing well for an interview.

His firm/practice

  • Construction law
    • Board certified
      • very difficult exam
      • hefty application process
        • good references
        • what % of your practice do you devote to construction (so lots of reviewing time sheets!)
    • Mostly litigation
    • Reviews/drafts contracts
    • Loves the construction law section in the Texas Bar
      • mentors
      • collegiality
      • conference
    • High-growth area
  • Also does business litigation
    • closely held company shareholder disputes
    • trade secret cases
  • Will also do some civil rights defense
  • The firm also does
    • banking
    • county/city government representation (Charlie Olson heads this up)
  • The Haley is after Judge Haley and the Olson is after Lyndon Olson, Sr., who was responsible for the one person / one vote case.
  • Waco/McLennan County Bar
    • collegial
    • not too big to where you don't know all the people
    • can fit the bar conference into a reasonable space
    • Several of his classmates ended up in Waco
    • Great location to practice in, as well as to get to the other cities in Texas; accessibility to all

COVID UPDATE (as of March 24, 2021)

  • COVID got real at last year's construction law conference
    • first elbow bump
  • Texas Supreme Court Emergency Orders
    • gave lots of discretion to judges, who could modify serious deadlines
  • As a profession we are problem solvers, so that was called upon during COVID
  • He is in charge of his firm's technology, so it presented a special challenge for him to get everyone, most especially the staff, able to access everything remote
    • Vendors did a great job working with him
  • Remote work/lawyering functions just fine in a lot of ways
    • But it's still hard on camaraderie when you have to be remote or in the office but with closed doors
  • Things that are here to stay:
    • Zoom meetings and minor hearings (especially those that just require the judge)
      • Especially true as the courts dig out of a backlog of cases
    • Zoom mediations though not as effective
    • Zoom depositions as an option
    • Optimistic about in-person jury trials with the proper precautions
      • Important
      • The rule of law and justice system is set up the way it is for a reason
      • Courthouses sit in the middle of town and have/are symbols
      • Judge and jury are elevated
      • Judge wears a robe
      • These are just traditions; they are supposed to impress upon us the things that hold society together
      • Cat case - paper from the client's house had a distinct smell; how do you do that by Zoom?
        • Tasting/smelling/perception
    • But Zoom is not the same
      • Can't look people in the eye
      • Can't process non-verbal communication the same way
      • 8k resolution is nothing compared to what we enjoy every day in real life with our normal/natural side
    • The law is resilient and creative; and we are a problem solving profession

Advice for lawyers in practice

  • Good attitude
  • Willingness to work / pitch in
  • Affirmatively go around and look for work
  • Be proactive and take ownership of your career
  • Stay hungry/curious/passionate
    • If you aren't able to do that, you need to make a change

Advice for lawyers in the job hunt

  • He has handled the summer clerk program for years and can speak to this
  • If a candidate's questions indicate they have done their homework, that's a great start
    • Don't go in talking about practice areas the firm doesn't do
    • Show a willingness to be a go-to person for awhile even if it isn't the thing you want to do most
  • Combine a short-term/realistic understanding of the role with your long-term career goals

Rapid Fire Questions

Thanks again to Josh White for joining us on today's show!

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